(Parks boss Christopher Williams, left, and WS Crime Prevention Council president Richard Miller)
How safe are West Seattle’s parks, and can they be made safer?

Those questions – stirred by last month’s unsolved murder of Greggette Guy, who police have said they believe was killed at Emma Schmitz Viewpoint – led the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council to invite acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams to its April meeting. (Here’s our separate update on the murder case itself.)

Williams, who grew up in West Seattle and is a Chief Sealth graduate, spoke and answered questions – as did two Parks managers who accompanied him – for more than 45 minutes in the Southwest Precinct meeting room on Tuesday night.

No big announcements, no “aha” moments, not even any extensive discussion of (nor questions about) Schmitz Viewpoint – but here’s how it unfolded (including video, if you would like to see and hear for yourself):

That’s our unedited video of Williams’ guest appearance. Now, the highlights:

Parks and Police work closely together, Williams said. But separate from SPD involvement, here are some of the factors that play into park safety:

*Maintenance
-How densely park is vegetated
-Inherent design factors that make it a safe place for people to hide out

*Park activation
-How well used is the park? Are there legitimate reasons for people to go there … activities, games, lights … one indicator is the number of women and small children you see there. (And if a park is not being used, why not?)

*You, the citizen: “We can’t have safe parks if people don’t pick up the phone and call 911 if people are not willing to report suspicious activities and behavior.”

He acknowledged concerns voiced by citizens about the safety of some West Seattle parks, but inferred they are often isolated concerns: For example, he says illegal activities in Lincoln Park are very low in proportion to how big it is.

Then he opened the floor to Q/A. First question came from a woman who said she lives near Longfellow Creek and had noticed lots of illegal activity, but recently, a lot of brush has come down – “is that going to help it a lot?” Especially along 26th, she said, “You see people who don’t LOOK like nature lovers,” and she also wondered about prostitution.

“We’re doing this all over the system,” said a Parks manager who accompanied Williams. The acting superintendent followed up by mentioning Parks restoration/invasives-removal work.

When the Longfellow Creek resident asked about how broken glass and other detritus is cleaned up, Williams talked about budget cuts that have hit Parks in recent years, and decisions his staff has to make about how to get “the greatest bang for the buck” with their limited resources. They maintain parks to a “clean, safe standard,” Williams said, but that may not mean they can get out to pick up every patch of broken glass. There’s a lot of reliance on park stewards and other volunteers, said Carol Baker, who leads Parks maintenance in this area. If you see something you think Parks needs to address, “give us a call.”

Williams then reminded everyone there is a consolidated “code of conduct” for Seattle Parks (see it here), with a list of what behaviors are illegal, or require a permit. “The rules are pretty straightforward and not as obscure as people try to allege that they are,” said Williams.

Could inmates do maintenance work, as they do sometimes at sites? Williams said that veers into “labor agreement” territory. “We are doing some creative things and we ARE pushing the envelope on volunteer activity,” he did say.

Asked about Lincoln Park, he said they don’t get a lot of reports of illegal activity there. Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen jumped in at that point and said that most of the reports they get involves juvenile drinking – so officers will go in but it’s like “herding cats … as far as crime, dangerous crime, it’s mostly kids.”

What about hiking there alone at night? a woman followed up. You might want to walk with somebody, wherever you are, not just in that park or any park, the captain suggested.

Another issue brought up: Coyotes in Camp Long. “Does that present a problem (for humans)?”

William replied, “Urban wildlife is a serious issue” and recalled the “coexistence” workshops that have been held in the past. “We’re trying to make sure we are educating our neighbors.” He suggested maybe there should be workshops at Camp Long. And no, the Parks team replied on followup, coyotes have NOT attacked humans. The attendee found that hard to believe since she had seen a half-dozen or so together; Baker said they engage in “pack behavior” during the season when they are raising young, in particular.

Other topics:

*Williams acknowledged that it’s a problem that many parks don’t have bathrooms – which gets in the way of the “activation” he had spoken about earlier.

*Asked about 4th of July illegal-fireworks damage, “There are no good answers. On the one hand, closing a park just punishes the people who want to go to the park and use it legitimately, so we’ve tried to steer away from that.” They do staff parks on the 4th – racking up lots of overtime – and also rely on watchful neighbors. There remained a good deal of frustration on this point, and no real resolution.

*One attendee said more people should volunteer in ways big and small; he talked about picking up trash while out and about.

What about lights or security improvements? Such projects might be suitable for the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund, offered Pete Spalding, a meeting attendee who chairs the levy Oversight Committee (and also serves on the precinct’s Advisory Council). He mentioned the upcoming workshops for prospective applicants (as reported here; overall info about the Opportunity Fund can be found here).

OTHER CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL NOTES: Operations Lt. Pierre Davis announced Drug Takeback Day at the precinct 10 am-2 pm on April 28th, one week from this Saturday (here’s the listing on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar); Karen Berge from the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network mentioned that their next meeting is on April 24th and will feature Community Police Team Officer Jonathan Kiehn discussing Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. She also announced that June 22nd will be the date for the group’s planned Blockwatch Captains appreciation event.

ORIGINAL 7:42 PM REPORT: The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council seldom draws citywide media coverage, but a crew from channel 7 dropped in tonight to hear what Seattle Police had to say – and what citizens wanted to ask – about the Beach Drive murder case. Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen spent about half an hour talking, and answering questions. We have it all on video so you can see for yourself if you couldn’t be here; topline for starters – no breakthroughs to report, but Capt. Paulsen reiterated that if there was something the public needed to know to be safer, they wouldn’t hesitate to share it, and that the department “is putting everything we have” toward solving the case. The only bit of information about the case itself that he revealed, in response to a question, is that they do believe Greggette Guy was killed at or “very close to” the lower level of Emma Schmitz Memorial Viewpoint, during “evening” hours (the night before her body was found half a mile north). The meeting is still under way; more to come.

ADDED 9:36 PM: Added the video atop this story. It begins when Capt. Paulsen started speaking about the case, after spending about a minute and a half discussing other crime trends (major topline: car prowls are down dramatically), but otherwise is unedited, running 26 minutes, until no one had any more questions and he yielded the floor. Along the way, you will hear him address a few unrelated questions, including one about the recent Westwood Village gunfire (bottom line, no one arrested yet, but the Gang Unit is handling the case, and they don’t believe it was a random occurrence). (Still more to add from the meeting, re: other topics. P.S. We have created a coverage archive for all stories about this case, while it remains unsolved – find it here, with, as always, newest stories first.)

ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: In case you can’t view the video, we have transcribed Capt. Paulsen’s opening statement about the Beach Drive case, before he invited Q/A, which focused on safety questions overall. Read on for that and notes from the meeting’s other speaker, an insurance-fraud expert with some eye-opening insights into car theft:

The transcript of everything Capt. Paulsen said before taking questions:

“I would love to be able to explain or answer questions – because we take these so seriously, as this type of crime .. we hold a lot of stuff close because our goal is to have the most professional, detailed and complete investigation, our goal is to get this person and to see it successfully through the court system.wth that, I don’t want to compromise the integrity of the investigation. That is also very important for you.

I can tell you, I’ve worked out here in WS since 2005, your West Seattle parks are safe – they do get a little busier in the warmer months, obviously … but we just did a check on what is the crime rates over on both the parks over on beach drive .. i think a lot of you saw those numbers posted … … very low numbers … i think a … I am comfortable in telling you those parks are safe. In light of the tragic homicide … One of the things i have done is thrown some extra patrol cars down in the area, it’s not so muc going to catch somebody or anything, but … this type of crim causes a lot of fear and we want to subside that fear by having this presence down there for you all. .. Trying to think what else I’d like to say in regards to that ..

If there was something that you needed to know that as our public, our citizens out here in West Seattle about your safety that you needed to be concerned about because we’re not expressing anything to you about the details – just know if there was something that I was concerned for your safety as a community, we would tell you, trust me, we would tell you, we would take steps to make sure you were all safe, hopefully you can kind of read between the lines of my cryptic messaging on that, so …

From there, he mostly sought to reassure questioners who wondered about the safety of walking on the beach, and whether there were any “personal safety devices” he would specifically recommend (no).

He also noted that he was moved and impressed by the 75-plus turnout for the walk and vigil on Sunday night (WSB coverage here), as a symbol of the fact Beach Drive neighbors are banding together. (Read Beach Drive Blog‘s thoughts on the situation, here.) And he reiterated two things you’ve heard here before over and over again, but can stand to be repeated again:
*Don’t hesitate to call 911. Don’t even bother trying to remember the non-emergency number. “Please just use 911,” he said.
*Get involved with Block Watch. Organize one if you don’t have one. (And join the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network, which meets again next Tuesday – follow the link to its website to watch for details.)

Keeping an eye out in your neighborhood was also a theme of the group’s guest speaker, Scott Wagner of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

He had a long list of insurance-fraud crimes that might affect you – with a focus on cars. He talked about the 10 most-stolen cars – here’s the slide he put up with the current list:

Wagner declared that it would take him “about thirty seconds to steal one of these cars.” And he said those are often the models you’ll see “cruising your neighborhood,” since criminals tend to steal them to commit other crimes.

Some car thefts, he said, are springboards for other scams, such as stealing their vehicle-identification numbers, “cloning” cars – using one VIN for multiple stolen cars that are similar in appearance – etc. If you’re in the market for a used car, you can check its VIN at his organization’s website, nicb.org, he said.

If you’re selling, don’t fall for scams such as someone claiming they will have the money to buy the car as soon as an insurance settlement comes through. If you have questions and concerns, his organization has a hotline, 800-TELL-NICB (though it’s not a substitute for calling police, he said).

And if you happen to see a tow truck in your neighborhood, maybe even picking up a neighbor’s car or an abandoned car, don’t assume everything is legal and above-board – write down the time and the tow company’s name, Wagner suggested, because it might not be, and if a detective or fraud investigator comes around later asking if you saw anything, the information might be helpful.

Current top trends in car-theft include odometer fraud, component theft and resale – airbags are the biggest, according to Wagner, with GPS and DVD players right up there – and thefts of xenon headlights.

He discussed some high-tech equipment that’s circulating among auto thieves, but acknowledged it’s not very common.

UP NEXT FOR WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: After a quick vote at the end of the meeting, a nominating committee is in place to come up with a slate of officers for the volunteer group’s next election. Meantime, its next meeting will be April 17, 7 pm, at the Southwest Precinct as usual, and president Richard Miller says the guest speaker will be from the Parks Department.

(From left, Melissa Chin from Seattle City Attorney’s Office, Cheryl Bishop from ATF, Jill Otake from U.S. Attorney’s Office)
From tonight’s meeting of the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council at the Seattle Police Southwest Precinct, toplines on topics from the latest property-crime rate, to last fall’s White Center-area raids, to an impromptu primer on the criminal-justice system, with three guests (above), all ahead & more:

PROPERTY CRIME RATE DROPPING: “We’re putting a significant ‘ka-powie’ on the criminals out there,” declared Lt. Pierre Davis. He said the recent arrest rate and resultant property-crime rate represents a turnaround from months ago when “we were getting our butts handed to us.” Numbers: Auto thefts, burglaries, were running 20-30 per week back in December, “unheard of” – he blamed it on a ring working in various areas, “and we were not immune to that – they were just killing us out here.” So they “put together a comprehensive plan,” Lt. Davis explained, including prevention and warning info. “To date, I’m happy to report that out of our average, we’re down on every category, burglaries, auto theft, car prowls, residential burglaries, so low that we’re in the lower single digits” per week – one recent week, for example, had 8 burglaries, compared to 28 in December. “The task now is to make sure (arrested suspects) get the good credit for the things they’ve done” – in other words, tough sentencing, like 5-6 years per defendant, for example. “Hats off to the community as well,” he said, “and we need to keep that going.”

‘CENTER OF ATTENTION’: The recent multi-agency operation stretched from West Seattle to White Center, even though the latter community got most of the attention, and the most visible raids. (Coverage rom partner site White Center Now is here.) Assistant U.S. attorney Jill Otake and Cheryl Bishop from the ATF Violent Gang Task Force came to update the group about it. Otake provided background – the decision to launch a “hotspot initiative … flooding the area with law enforcement for 90 days.” 70 guns, 58 defendants (27 of them facing federal charges, including several “armed career criminals” – 3 drug trafficking and/or violent convictions, facing long sentences) and more than 50 pounds of drugs were among their net, along with increased community involvement. And as she noted, “the primary problem businesses in White Center are closing or closed” – (as first reported on WCN, Papa’s Pub in downtown White Center shut down two weeks ago). Asked what happens to the guns, Bishop replied that they’ll be destroyed. Are they still taking more information? Otake’s reply: “Yes.” Bishop called the operation “unique,” with as wide a net as they could cast during its 90-day duration, and an immense amount of teamwork and community involvement. She said community tips were vital, even down to specifics such as, a certain type of illegal transaction would usually happen in a certain place on a certain day at a certain time. Even the law enforcers, Bishop pointed out, are community members.

Regarding the task force’s future, Otake said they’re “continuing to work with the political powers in King County” regarding devoting resources to ongoing efforts – to paraphrase her explanation, you can’t just go in one time and make a strike, pull out, and “expect everything to be rainbows and unicorns” after that. Of those who were arrested, Otake said, she believes at least 80 percent are still in custody – and many of the others are on GPS monitoring. “Federal pre-trial supervision is no joke,” she elaborated, explaining that the feds have fewer cases and so are able to put people away for longer. Another question: Were most of the Center of Attention arrestees gang members? Some were, some weren’t, said Otake: “It was an equal-opportunity initiative.” Concern was expressed about the perception that some other federal operations hadn’t made a big dent, such as illegal-cigarette raids, and the ATF team reiterated, please let them know what’s happening – don’t assume they already know.

NEW PRECINCT LIAISON: Melissa Chin (right) introduced herself, noting that she is a Delridge resident, and saying she is not fully on the job yet, finishing up her work on domestic-violence cases, but once her current trials are over, within 2 weeks or so, she will be a full-time precinct liaison – though she reminded everyone, she is splitting her time between the Southwest and South Precincts. A meeting attendee asked why she, unlike the other newly announced liaisons, is handling two precincts; for one, she replied, the Southwest Precinct is not as crime-heavy as some other areas.

SIDE DISCUSSION OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: Those in attendance wound up getting something of a primer on how the process from arrest to conviction works, as a sidetrack from a question that came up during the federal enforcers’ portion of the program. Chin explained the process – the 72-hour time limit for either charging someone or letting them go, following their arrest, then “the pre-trial stages where they can either plead guilty or be set for trial or have the case continued” – “And through all that process the person may or may not be in jail,” noted an attendee. “Yes, and we have 90 days to bring them to trial unless they waive their right to a speedy trial,” said Chin, adding that most defendants do waive that right “once or twice.” She also clarified that the City Attorney’s Office, for which she works, only deals with lower-level crimes; the more serious ones are handled by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. “So what kind of supervision is someone under if they have been released?” asked another attendee. Depends on their background, said Chin; they might even be checking in by phone. As the discussion went on to take a variety of unusual turns, the three-member SPD contingent at the meeting was asked their thoughts on gun crime, and Lt. Davis noted he is a former undercover gang detective. “That was a heck of a lot of guns” seized by the “Center of Attention” team, he noted, “but there’s a lot more out there.”

The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets the third Tuesday of the month, and it needs officers – first step, join the nominating committee! Next meeting is March 20th, 7 pm, at the Southwest Precinct as usual – there were a few new faces tonight, and the leadership is always happy to see more.

Operations Lt. Pierre Davis summarized the wave of burglaries that “hit hard” in West Seattle toward the end of 2011 – and the 17 arrests (as of last week) that he said have made a a dent in the trend. He says regional agencies connected it all to a “burglary ring” that had been working in South King County as well as Seattle (and not just WS), possibly even Portland. The resulting (albeit temporary) explosion in burglaries was so big at one point, he said, that in the first week of December, there were 25 burglaries in this area – but by the first week of January, that was down to five, closer to the usual average. Lt. Davis said arrests were possible largely thanks to good evidence and good witness descriptions – which led to another reminder, if you see something suspicious, call it in.

The night’s special guest was Officer W.J. Witt, who worked with the Aggressive Driver Response Team before moving recently to the new Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Squad. He spent much of his time fielding specific questions – including, what can be done about “aggressive drivers” who aren’t in the usual places often staked out by police. His answer: Call 911 if it’s a problem happening *now*. Otherwise, you can also leave a message with the Traffic division – ADRT is part of that division (not based in WS) – at 206-684-8722. Regarding the CVES – you can get a taste of what they’re up to, by checking out this recent report from SPD Blotter.

Meantime, we promised to follow up on the helicopter seen over Highland Park for a while last Saturday night. Took a while to get the answer because of the holiday weekend, but King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West says it was a search for two people who had stolen from a White Center store and ran across the city/county line into West Seattle. Full story on our partner site White Center Now.

Last but not least, another car break-in reported – this one by Kristina:

Not only was our car broken into, they knocked over our snowman and our trash can. A video camera and a parking pass were the only things stolen also the insert inside the console . No damage to vehicle either. We live in North Admiral.

*Residential burglaries, up 2 percent
*Non-residential burglaries, down 6 percent
*Auto thefts, up 10 percent
*Car prowls “way down” thanks to some recent arrests that “led to others”

Overall, Lt. Davis’s assessment: “We’re getting our bad guys, but there are still a lot more out there.” He stressed that “if you see something, say something” – call 911 if what you see is happening now; don’t worry about possibly “bothering” them with a non-emergency, as the operator’s job is to figure out the best way to route your call. Report #2, coming up – highlights from Metro Transit Police Chief Lisa Mulligan‘s presentation on what her team is all about. (Side note: WSCPC won’t meet in December, so its next meeting is January 17th.)

Can termite damage really cause a fire in your wooden home? A baseboard heater that is turned “off” stays off, doesn’t it? Just how can something “spontaneously combust” (which started the fire at right, in Arbor Heights in August)?

Many questions related to fires – and fire safety – were answered Tuesday night at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting held at the Southwest Precinct. A late but informative addition to the agenda: The Seattle Fire Department provided guest speakers – education specialist Dana Catts and investigator Ronald M. Ready from the Arson and Fire Investigation Unit.

First, Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Pierre Davis gave an update on current crime rates, stressing that recent success in reducing certain crimes was bolstered by “the efforts that have happened with our citizens here and their fantastic job they’re doing in reporting crime to 911, saying the right things to the 911 operators, giving the right information.”

CRIME TRENDS: Lt. Davis continued: “A lot of our crimes are the burglaries and auto thefts and car prowls, and we’re making some fantastic strides. A couple months ago, they were killing us, but we put crime patterns together, linking criminals to specific crimes, and in the past months we’ve put a lot of them behind bars. Some do get out awaiting trial, but we’re hanging a lot of crimes on them, and we’re working with the Seattle attorney’s office on the exceptional sentences.”

Compared to this time last year, per Lt. Davis, residential burglaries in West Seattle are down 9%; non-residential burglaries are down 6%, and there’s been 23% fewer car prowls. He noted that auto thefts up 11% from this time last year, but that the SPD’s auto detectives are working on linking burglaries with the auto thefts, as burglars like stealing cars to use: “They like putting stolen loot in stolen cars!”

One meeting attendee said that there had been three burglaries since September on 12th SW, and the SPD had “caught two guys and they think they’re probably responsible for all three of the burglaries, and that’s brought a lot of relief to the neighborhood.”

Lt. Davis reminded that anyone witnessing crimes let the police know so that they “can track and see crime patterns and get descriptions. The more information we get, the more responsive we can get.” The number of Seattle Police officers combined “with our citizenry, that’s ten-fold.” More people out in their neighborhoods, involved on their streets, noticing suspicious activity and notifying the SPD helps them document incidents and helps prevent (and catch) strangers casing houses, illegal drugs activity and more.

Along with Community Police Team officers Kevin McDaniel and Ken Mazzuca, Lt. Davis addressed some questions about mail theft (“we haven’t had a whole heck of a lot of reports of that; if you witness crimes, let the police know.”) and about hate crimes in West Seattle: “The SPD takes that very seriously, and we go after individuals who do that wholeheartedly. Other than the one a while back, there haven’t been hate crimes going on around West Seattle.”

FIRE PREVENTION AND SAFETY EDUCATION: Fire Investigator Ron Ready explained how pyrolysis – “the decomposition of solid material through the application of heat” occurred in the Arbor Heights house fire. The investigation determined that the fire was accidental, with no signs of forced entry or of arson. The first 911 call was from someone who’d seen the garage door spring open, and a fire burning in the portable fireplace unit, which per the tenants hadn’t been used in two years. Inv. Ready explained that organic material such as the cellulose in wood, and even residue from burned treated wood, degrades over time, causing both heat and a lower ignition temperature. As the ambient temp was around 90 degrees that day, the gradual buildup of heat in the garage on that organic material, which was covered with a blanket, began to burn.

Questioned about the water pressure and supply issues at the Arbor Heights house fire scene, Inv. Ready discussed how that street has 4-inch elevated water main, and that the SFD hooks a feeder hose to the fire truck, which then powers fire hoses spraying 300 gallons a minute. Hydrants in the area either didn’t have enough water or pressure to achieve that, which is why firefighters spread hoses along so many blocks to find a hydrant that would allow them to adequately fight the fire. Noting that Seattle Public Utilities has acknowledged that the water mains in that area are too small, Inv. Ready said that department is the one to address “anything beyond what the SFD can say,” currently the Water Department is studying the cost to upgrade that area.

To find out how recently fire hydrants were inspected and what size water main is in your block, that’s public information; a map showing that is available from Seattle Public Utilities.

Having investigated more than 2,000 fires, Inv. Ready noted that even termites can cause a house fire through pyrolysis: They turn wood into sawdust, using enzymes as they go, which causes heat – add a little oxygen, the sawdust can smoulder and start burning. Sunlight and other heat sources applied to rags soaked in linseed oil or deck stain or turpentine causes the material to degrade and ignite; he advised putting materials like those into a metal garbage can with the lid closed.

Per SFD Education Specialist Dana Catts, the #1 cause of house fires is from kitchen fires, and the #2 cause is from baseboard heaters. A pillow against a baseboard heater caused the recent fire that killed a 36-year-old man in a basement fire in another part of Seattle last week. He had no smoke/fire alarm. “Most people are unaware that a built in baseboard heater, even turned “off” will come on when it gets down to 50 degrees – several manufacturers designed them to do that to protect household plumbing from freezing, so be sure to keep materials away from the baseboard heaters even in a room that you “never use.”

She discussed the different fire safety educational efforts that SFD provides, from speaking to kids at schools and special events, making sure local teachers have materials to send home with children to their families about house and apartment fire escape plans, to smoke alarm delivery and installation to qualified Seattle residents, and helping educate Seattle’s communities.

One initiative spurred by the tragedy of the Fremont fire in 2010 (covered here by our partners at The Seattle Times) is the SFD reaching out to provide education in ethnic/immigrant communities where people may have different customs, and might not speak English or might be unaware of various safety practices and the codes/laws against flame barbecuing indoors, running generators indoors, etc. Volunteers from those communities receive education and training; they then go back to their neighborhoods and teach what they’ve learned – and “that has been working really well.”

FIRE STOPPERS PROGRAM: The education of juveniles about fire safety – including the consequences of their actions if they start fires – is a very effective tool. SFD takes arson seriously – they can charge a juvenile with arson from the age of 12 on up. Some kids have no experience with fire at all, while others have a little too much interest in it, which led to the “Fire Stoppers Program”: a free, confidential education program for children who show curiosity about fire, or who have started a fire.

“Kids get referred to the program, from 3- to 17-year-olds. Some times it’s court mandated, sometimes the kids are referred by police, or a counselor, or even a parent. SFD does an assessment of the kid, with questions, and we work with mental health professionals-we also will refer juveniles to behavioral counselor if need be. So far, the results have been very positive – once kids get the education and understand the consequences.” Kids complete the program including homework, and recidivism rates are significantly lower for those who go through the program. “A lot of times, it’s kids who are unsupervised who get into trouble.”

Remember, SFD will supply and install free smoke alarms for qualified Seattle residents if

# You live in the City of Seattle
# You own and live in your home
# You are living on a low income, are a senior citizen or are disabled. (Seattle residents who are deaf or hard of hearing may qualify for a free strobe smoke alarm.)

The next Crime Prevention Council meeting will be at the SW Precinct on November 15th at 7 pm, and will host Lisa Mulligan, King County Transit Police Chief.

CRIME TRENDS: Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Pierre Davis described it as an “up-and-down-type summer,” with burglary “spikes” at times. He said Community Police Team officers (including Ken Mazzuca and Kevin McDaniel, who were also at the meeting) were tasked with helping solve the puzzle, and that led to “very, very favorable arrests” of the “more prolific individuals out there in the West Seattle community” that put a “big dent” in burglaries, car prowls, and similar crimes – including suspects he says were to blame for more than half the burglaries.

He says there were no particular neighborhoods being hit harder than others – it would differ widely “as if a salt shaker were sprinkled all over (the map)” – and so crime analysis was done over and over again, yielding “fantastic arrests.”

As for specific types of crime, Lt. Davis said that car thefts are currently running “a few up from our norm,” which is 10/month, currently running at 13. Burglaries? “They’ve gone way down and we’re particularly happy about that.” Lt. Davis thanked alert community members and advice from Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon, “which has paid off greatly … we’ve gotten some fantastic tips” from people who provided helpful information that assisted them in arresting suspects. He says they’re also working to link suspects to more cases, if applicable, so they can be prosecuted under the Repeat Burglary Initiative and potentially get tougher sentences.

IDENTITY THEFT: Angela Kaake, senior deputy prosecuting attorney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, was the meeting’s special guest, with a presentation featuring lots of data about its prevalence, as well as advice on prevention and protection, plus a window into what it takes for successful prosecution. (She’s also on the Greater Puget Sound Financial Fraud and Identity Theft Task Force.)

Want to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft? She had specific advice – for prevention and for what to do if it happens anyway – read on:

First – what constitutes identity theft?

*Forged checks – “a real check that’s been changed or altered,” as Kaake described it.
*Counterfeit checks – “someone gets a hold of your account information.”
*Using stolen credit cards
*Stealing personal information and opening credit accounts, bank accounts, utilities, renting an apartment, etc. “Those are a little bit more scary because you won’t necessarily know about those right away,” she noted.
*Stealing credit-card numbers or account info – online purchases, skimming, etc. (She pointed out today’s Seattle Times [WSB partner] report on a big skimming bust – read it here.)

Little-known facts: It’s the most-reported crime in the U.S., with 10 million “new victims” every year – yet, she said, 61 percent of those who reported to the Federal Trade Commission (which you’re supposed to do) said they had not made a report to their local police. Our state was 17th in the nation for identity-theft complaints, per capita, last year – but that ranking has fallen annually over the past several years.

Even WSCPC president Richard Miller said he had been a victim of identity theft. An attendee said that it happened to her many years ago, at which time she said she couldn’t even get police to take a report; the person who victimized her, she said, “spent a lot of time talking to a phone psychic,” among other uses of her funds!

Clearly, it can happen to anyone, Kaake said, pointing out that this region’s U.S. Attorney, Jenny Durkan, had acknowledged becoming an identity-theft victim too. So, how does it happen?

*Stolen mail
*Going through your garbage
*Car prowl
*Burglary
*Employees stealing sensitive information
*Computer hacking
*Phishing (defined here)
*Malware (defined here)
*ATM skimming (as mentioned previously)
*Skimming by workers who process payments you make, etc.

It tends to be more of an organized-crime problem, with a lot of Eastern European involvement, Kaake explained. So, what can you do to prevent it?

*Get a locking mailbox, “even a $15 cheapo one,” Kaake recommended, since your incoming mail can be of value to identity thieves as well as outgoing. (That led to a cautionary tale from an attendee who said mail had been stolen from a US Postal Service employee who had parked his truck at a local business.)

*Take outgoing mail to the post office (though Kaake warned, that’s not foolproof – even the main collection box at a Snohomish County post office was broken into recently)

*Shred sensitive documents, including credit-card applications and card/bank account statements – if you don’t or can’t have your own shredder, keep your radar up for shred-a-thons, and save that particular paperwork in a bag till you are able to take it to an event like that

*Don’t leave valuables in your car: “A lot of fraud and theft arises from vehicle prowls.”

*Protect your home, since burglaries can also yield loot that sparks identity theft

*Don’t give out information over the phone or Internet – “A lot of those phishing scams can look a lot like real websites, or real e-mail you might get from (your bank),” Kaake warned. And callers can sound legitimate; she talked about a friend who got a phone call asking about Social Security information, saying the friend was eligible for more benefits, and how she was alarmed to hear about it – it did turn out to be legitimate, but no harm would have been done from a precautionary call to doublecheck with the purported organization (Social Security Administration or whomever) before providing that information.

*Anti-virus software

*Account monitoring – keep a close watch on your banks and credit cards. “Know what you have in your accounts – check in on them weekly, if not every few days, to be sure the charges you have on there are the charges you are making.”

*Use a credit card whenever possible (as opposed to debit card) – more protection, no direct account access

Prevention was more complicated for one particular crime – Kaake delved more deeply into ATM skimming. To reduce your chances of being victimized:

*Check the ATM closely – look at it! “Pull on it, look and see if there are any scratch marks, scuffs, maybe glue around the edges” or “holes where cameras might be” – the cameras that would record you entering your PIN, so they can match it with what they might skim off your card. She says banks have worked to incorporate anti-fraud features into ATMs.

*”Location, location, location” – “Usually the safest place to get cash out would be at your (supermarket),” make a purchase and get the cash back, since those “point-of-sale terminals” are seldom left alone long enough for skimmers to be installed.

*Always cover your PIN – put a hand over the one you’re using to enter the PIN, or hold up your wallet, or whatever, to block a potential camera view.

*Consider the day and time of day – nights and weekends are when you’re most likely to get skimmed. The devices are generally left up for only a few hours, Kaake said, then the criminals come back for them and take them away.

*Door readers: “A new trend has been to install the card reader on that door reader” at banks where there is a secured room that requires you to swipe your card before you can get in to use the ATM.

So, let’s say an identity-theft suspect is caught. Prosecution isn’t easy, Kaake said. It is specifically outlawed by RCW 9.35.020. The hardest part is matching a particular thief to a particular case of identity theft. To boost the chances of prosecution, she said, these are vital actions:

*Report identity theft to police
*Police followup (which can be difficult because of challenges such as a lack of leads, difficulty of procuring records, no surveillance video installed or available – “without that, we’ve really got nothing” – and a lack of resources/budgets to pursue it)
*Prosecutors have to be able to prove identity “beyond a reasonable doubt”
*Prosecutors have to struggle with “budget constraints,” given layoffs and budget cuts in recent years

Even surveillance video is no sure thing, Kaake demonstrated with a video framegrab showing a suspect, photographed from above, and virtually unidentifiable – followed by a video framegrab showing a suspect, clearly recognizable, entering a place of business. Video, however, is the key to proving identity – “really one of the main ways we’re able to identify and prosecute,” since identity thieves are seldom caught in the act, unless they’re using a stolen check that is revealed as such while they’re trying to use it. Investigators must rely on retailers and banks cooperating with requests for video. Kaake noted that stolen cards are often used soon after they’re taken, and then discarded, but skimming might be delayed.

She said you can help investigators crack down on identity theft by providing information on where transactions happened – you might be able to get the information more easily from your bank than police and prosecutors would be able to, “and you can definitely do it without a search warrant,” which investigators would have to obtain and execute. Also, “keep track of your conversations and correspondence,” which also helps you when dealing with credit companies/banks regarding theft. Document everything – if a check has been forged, get it from the bank and print a copy for investigators. “We file cases we can prove,” she said later, during Q/A, though she didn’t have a conviction rate ready to share.

To protect yourself:

*Cancel cards immediately after breach/theft
*Get a fraud alert placed by the 3 major credit-reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, Transunion) which should flag your account if someone tries to use it
*Report it to police and to the Federal Trade Commission
*Follow up with banks and credit cards “to make sure there are not additional charges”
*Take a look at credit-monitoring services that are offered, including private companies
*Consider insurance for identity theft
*Monitor your own credit (she mentioned annualcreditreport.com)

WSCPC president Miller added one more bit of advice – caller ID can be faked, so don’t trust that who’s calling is who your caller ID says it is, especially if they are asking for the type of identity/money-linked information that identity thieves are after.

The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets on the third Tuesday of the month, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster) – so the next meeting is October 18th, and a Metro Transit Police rep is confirmed as the guest, to talk about crime/safety at bus stops and on buses. You can find agenda and contact information at wscpc.org.

CRIME TRENDS: From Southwest Precinct Community Police Team Officer Jon Kiehn, the only uniformed SPD rep at the meeting: Burglaries same as last month, car prowls down a bit, auto thefts up a bit, ramping up for Alki issues – the call load the past couple days has been an indication of how it’s going to be. He was asked about the loitering men on the east side of The Junction (reported here); he said so far there’s been no reports of any crime, just reports of inappropriate remarks, and people feeling uncomfortable – it’ s on their radar, though.

NICKELSVILLE: Asked about the camp by a meeting attendee, Officer Kiehn said he had had a meeting just yesterday with business reps from that area of West Seattle, as well as camp management. He notes there’s a list of rules they’ve agreed upon – the residents are not allowed based on camp rules to do certain things, and breaking the law is one of them, “still kind of hashing things out,” but they’re working well together, so far.

SUMMER WEATHER CRIME PREVENTION REMINDER: Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon reminded everyone – don’t leave your windows, doors, garages open in the warm weather, because it’s a home security risk, and “somebody can take advantage” of it. Officer Kiehn reiterated that unlocked doors and windows are figuring into an increasing number of break-ins right now, and unlocked vehicles are a big risk if you choose to leave something of value inside an unlocked car.

‘SUMMER PAINT-OUT PROGRAM‘: Officer Kiehn says you can ask Seattle Public Utilities for paint to go cover up graffiti/tagging vandalism. (More information here.) “In West Seattle, it’s not a huge problem,” he said – “but where (in WS) it IS a problem, it’s a BIG problem.”

SEATTLE POLICE FOUNDATION: Its president Renée Hopkins, a West Seattleite, came to talk about what SPF does. She’s been with it since before it launched. It’s known for sponsoring Picnic at the Precinct (WSB 2010 coverage) and the annual police awards banquet (WSB 2010 coverage), but it’s raised $4 million for hundreds of projects overall – the Victim Support Team (a community volunteer program helping domestic-violence victims at crime scenes) among them. “Most of them are youth and outreach focused,” she said, as well as employee recognition and a tuition fund for education/training for SPD employees, as well as “law-enforcement assistance” – equipment and technology that the city itself can’t afford.

In the past 10 years, SPF has “funded all the new K-9 purchases,” Hopkins said. Previously, she said, they were donated dogs that required months of training and still might not work out; dogs bred and trained for police work cost about $9,000. They have also purchased new horses for the West Seattle-based Mounted Patrol Unit, which SPF stepped forward to help save from the city budget ax (as reported here earlier this year). This year’s dates: August 20th for Picnic at the Precinct, 1-4 pm, and October 28th for the citywide awards banquet (at which the public is welcome, Hopkins said).

She also mentioned the book that a “community volunteer” had written, in honor of the late SPD Officer Timothy Brenton, telling the stories of more than 30 officers, with words and pictures, “Keeping a Blue Light On,” and says it’s gone into a reprint and will be available at a lower price, for about $30. Author Stacey Sanner will be talking to schools and community groups about “the great work our department does every day” starting this fall, according to Hopkins.

ACTING SGT. ADRIAN DIAZ DISCUSSES SPD EXPLORERS: He’s a former West Seattleite who oversees Youth Violence Prevention for SPD, including the officers placed at four schools in the district (Denny International Middle School among them). His main topic: Police Explorers, a program he took over last fall. The program is for up to 30 youth ages 14 to 21 (at the upper age range, they are potentially eligible to move on to a career as a police officer). Participants meet two times a month and go through “a variety of levels of training … a smaller condensed version of what officers go through, from field interviews to constitutional law, traffic stops …” and more, according to A/Sgt. Diaz. They also train with firearms. They also are asked to participate in one community event per month; their roles include community interaction – last weekend they handled “pit security” at an event, for example. “We just kind of integrate them into a lot of different things,” tasks such as fingerprinting. They also attend an annual academy, and go through a formal “rank” system. There’s still room in the system – they haven’t reached the 30-person capacity, he says – they have 21 people in the post right now, close to equally split between young women and young men. A youth may stay in the program for four or five years “and if they leave, they leave for a job or college” – one is at West Point, right now, in fact, and Diaz says he’s just written a recommendation for an Explorer who’s trying to get into the Air Force Academy. (He also mentioned his past West Seattle ties included years as a wrestling coach for Chief Sealth International High School; high schools are one of the places they recruit new Explorers.) The program is supported by donations, which all go through the Seattle Police Foundation. A/Sgt. Diaz was asked about Community Police Academies – a separate program – he is a teacher at those; there are two coming up – the standard 10-week program and a one-day crash course; more info here.

NO WSCPC MEETINGS IN JULY OR AUGUST: Next meeting, September 20th, the topic – identity theft.

(4/30/11 photo by Katie Meyer from the Admiral Way Viewpoint drug-takeback dropoff)
The drug-takeback events on April 30th netted 256 pounds of prescription drugs in West Seattle alone, according to the local DEA office. But if you doubt that matters – check out the toplines from last night’s presentation to the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council. While drug-abuse expert Steve Freng talked about all categories of drug abuse, over and over again, he reiterated that it’s legal drugs, not illegal drugs, causing the most problems these days.

Freng is with the team focused on the Northwest HIDTA – high-intensity drug-trafficking area. He also spoke to the WSCPC at the Southwest Precinct two and a half years ago (here’s our report from that meeting), at which time he warned that prescription-drug abuse was on the upswing. His information is not West Seattle-specific, but it’s regional and likely a good indicator of what’s happening here:

Not that legal drugs are the only drugs abused in this area, according to Freng – the Northwest has “an incredible appetite for drugs,” and is also a hotbed of growing and manufacturing. For marijuana, for example, he said that its use is “spiking,” with plenty of supply – Mexico-linked drug-trafficking organizations are growing “enormous amounts” outdoors in Eastern Washington, while Canada/Asia-linked organizations are growing indoors in Western Washington. But he said meth use has “stabilized,” cocaine use has “dropped precipitously.”

But prescription drugs represent an “entirely new pandemic sweeping through the culture” – with narcotic pain relievers leading the way in terms of abuse, followed by sedatives, stimulants, and anti-anxiety drugs.

The opiate (natural or synthetic) pain relievers are “killing people six times faster than heroin is,” Freng noted, adding that our state has the highest overdose-death rate in the nation. He noted in his presentation that 119 million prescriptions were written in the U.S. for Vicodin alone in 2007 – 1 for every 3 people – and suggested the increase in prescription-drug abuse can be directly tied to a philosophical change in the health-care industry to more aggressively treat pain. (He had critical words for stimulant prescriptions, too, particularly those given to children for suspected attention-deficit disorders: “We’ve been overmedicating our children for a long time.” Those stimulants, he said, are most commonly abused on college campuses, where a student might share her/his prescription with dorm-mates who are all trying to stay awake and alert to deal with their studies.)

He also noted that methadone – which is used for pain relief as well as for heroin-addiction treatment – is much-abused, and particularly dangerous because of its longer half-life.

Even marijuana, according to Freng, is sending people to the hospital more than it used to. And though cocaine use is down, it’s making people sick in more ways than one; he says manufacturers in Latin America are cutting it with Levamisole, a “deworming agent” that he said can cause a blood-borne disease affecting users’ immune systems.

An attendee asked Freng his thoughts about the current proliferation of medical-marijuana businesses. He declined to address them specifically, but in terms of the wider issue of potential marijuana legalization, he cautioned: “(Marijuana outlawing) isn’t prohibition the way alcohol prohibition worked … this prohibition has a black market that has been thriving for 50 years. They’re not going to go anywhere if we legalize it; the Mexican (traffickers) are not going to say ‘oh, sorry, Washington, we’ll go back to California’ … it will end up so that if you can go down to the liquor store or pharmacy and buy an ounce for 300 bucks, you can probably go down the street to (a dealer’s) house and he will sell it to you for 200 bucks. It’s a no-win situation so far as I’m concerned.”

Other illegal drugs: Meth mostly comes from Mexico, and the most prevalent variety is “ice”; heroin also comes mostly from Mexico, with “black tar” most commonly sold/used; cocaine still originates in South America, two-thirds of it coming from Colombia, most of the rest from Bolivia or Peru.

Freng concluded with information about new trends of “legal” highs that the government is trying to deal with now – a marijuana-mimicking plant substance sold as “spice,” and the stimulants sold as “bath salts.” Though both are now the subject of emergency regulations in our state, Freng pointed out they can still be obtained online. The “bath salts” are most dangerous, he indicated, because their effects are “edgy, raspy,” much more so than other stimulants such as cocaine.

Finally, he said, what does in most drug victims is combining substances that aren’t meant to be combined – one substance’s effects might be magnified by the other. That led to a discussion of how Michael Jackson died – not your usual topic at a neighborhood crime-prevention meeting, but you never know which way the discussion will go.
The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets on the third Tuesday of the month, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct; next meeting will be June 21st.

Speaking of keeping an eye out, Karen Berge from the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network announced at meeting’s end that their next meeting is next Tuesday, 6:30 pm, also at SW Precinct. Coming up later: Current drug-abuse trends, from tonight’s guest speaker, a regional expert who spoke to the group 2 1/2 years ago (WSB coverage here).

“We’re really concerned with our burglaries, car prowls, and auto thefts, said Operations Lt. Pierre Davis. But for the past month, he cited a “significant drop” in those categories. “We are at pretty much an 8-month-to-a-year low, compared to a year ago.” Regarding our “more active individuals in the community – we’ve gotten them recognized,” and arrested and prosecuted, “and they’re out of our hair for a long, long time. … We hope to keep that trend up.” He quoted precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen as saying “We’re doing really good now, but we want to get that down to zero … if you see something out there, let us know.” And toward that, Lt. Davis revealed, an informational campaign is ahead to alert the community to ways to help reduce the chance of auto theft and other car-related crimes. WSCPC president Richard Miller asked Lt. Davis about any current hot spots for auto theft, and the lieutenant replied that “It’s pretty random right now.”

Other toplines from the meeting, including a presentation on a volunteer-staffed program that helps some of the community’s most-vulnerable victims, after the jump:

SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S VICTIM SUPPORT TEAM: The 15+ Crime Prevention Council attendees were briefed by Pete Rogerson, a volunteer from this Seattle Police Department program staffed by trained volunteers who help domestic-violence victims – sometimes meeting them at police precincts, sometimes at hospitals, “wherever we can meet them – sometimes talking to them by phone, if that’s the best we can do. Officers tell victims about the team’s services, and if they say they are interested, “we do the best we can to help them … we give them a choice of what kind of help they want, if they want any help at all. Sometimes they just want someone to listen to them, to hear their story.” Or, for example, they may need help in navigating the shelter system, to find someplace to go that has room to take the victim in.

He says the program isn’t recruiting right now – it has about 90 volunteers and that’s so many that they don’t even need to have a spring training academy (though, he added, they certainly wouldn’t say no to someone who wanted to be on a prospective-volunteer waiting list). The program also has two paid staffers and two AmeriCorps volunteers, he explained, but the volunteers are on duty late into the night on Fridays and Saturday nights.

Rogerson has been a volunteer with the Victim Support Team since 2002 – far longer than the average two or three years most volunteers stay. Their time commitment, he explained in response to a question from Delridge District Council chair Mat McBride, is “at least one eight-hour shift a month,” though many, he said do more. The training program lasts about 50 hours – at least six Saturdays, typically, with police ridealongs included. New volunteers’ first shifts are done in the company of a volunteer trainer, like Rogerson.

As a longtime volunteer, he has context on the program’s history. Rogerson noted that this was a “pretty controversial program when it started” – particularly the concept of civilians driving around with police radios, using them to communicate. He says it began with a pilot program back around 1997. And he acknowledges that some victims don’t want to leave their abusers – but he recalled the tale of one who not only left, she traveled thousands of miles: She had come from overseas to visit her husband who was “working here for a year”; he abused her, she had a zero-tolerance policy, so “we helped her leave” – Rogerson recalled that involved her buying a one-way airplane ticket to go back home.

What don’t they do? According to a handout shared at the meeting, the volunteers “do not take statements for officers … do not serve as interpreters for officers …. do not stay at unsafe scenes.” And there was a time, not that long ago, when, as Rogerson recalled, there were a lot of restrictions, because anything could have been an unsafe scene, particularly right after the murder of Seattle Police Officer Tim Brenton in fall 2009. The work is “not suited for everybody,” Rogerson acknowledged in response to another question, but he keeps doing it because “I find it rewarding.”

WSCPC member Betty Wiberg asked the Southwest Precinct reps on hand for their thoughts about the VST. Operations Lt. Davis’s answer was short and sweet: “Job well done.” And the attendees echoed that with a round of applause before Rogerson headed out, bound for an appearance before the Broadview Community Council.

NEW PRECINCT LIAISON FROM CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE: Another guest at the WSCPC meeting was Henry Chae, who is working with the Southwest, South, and North Precincts on behalf of City Attorney Pete Holmes‘ office.

WEST SEATTLE BLOCKWATCH CAPTAINS NETWORK: Karen Berge announced that its next meeting is a week from tonight, at the same precinct meeting room where the WSCPC always meets, 6:30 pm Tuesday (March 22nd – keep track of the group on Facebook).

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS: Not crime-related, but Chief Sealth International High School assistant principal Lupe Barnes wanted to make sure everyone knew about several events at the school – including World Water Week next week (previewed again here this morning), the March 26th Jazz Dinner, April 1st baseball-program spaghetti dinner, and April 2nd tamale dinner.

APRIL 19 WSCPC MEETING: Jim Curtin from SDOT will be the guest, according to
president Miller, talking about neighborhood traffic safety, including West Seattle’s most dangerous spots and what’s being done about them. As always, that’ll be a 7 pm Tuesday meeting, at the precinct meeting room (Delridge/Webster, enter on the west side of the building).

(SPD’s Lt. Pierre Davis (left) and Lt. Darin Chinn talk with community members at the SW Precinct)

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

West Seattle residents and Block Watch leaders gathered Tuesday night at Southwest Precinct for the monthly meeting of the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, to hear positive news about recent crime trends – but also to hear a presentation that served as a sobering reminder of ongoing drug problems facing communities as a whole.

SW Precinct Lt. Pierre Davis (pictured above, at left) reported that in the past month, there has been a “39% decrease in property crimes” in West Seattle, following a “spike in activity” in January in which burglaries and car prowls were more frequent.  

Lt. Davis said that SPD “mobilized more patrols” in response to that spike, and worked closely with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and community members to identify troublesome individuals and “basically take them off the streets.”  He cited yesterday’s arrest of an “active car prowl suspect” as a major success story in these ongoing efforts, which include a crackdown on catalytic converter thefts from parked cars.  

A major goal, Lt. Davis said, is to build strong cases against the repeat offenders to keep them behind bars longer – more like “25-50 months” versus much shorter sentences. 

 He’s encouraged that in addition to the drop in property crimes, burglaries are down and that “we’re near an all-time low” in the last couple of weeks, with a very small number of reported incidents.  

He urged citizens and blockwatch leaders to “keep up the good work” because with 600-some officers on Seattle’s streets at any given time, help is always needed.  He mentioned an upcoming “technology initiative” that has the goal of quickly sharing information with West Seattle Block Watch captains and community leaders, and said to stay tuned for details.  

The featured presenter for the evening was SW Precinct Lt. Darin Chinn, who specializes in drug-related crimes as part of his role as an ACT (Anti-Crime Team) officer for SPD:

Lt. Chinn showed a presentation titled “Drugs and Kids,” detailing many of the primary drugs that are abused the most – everything from street drugs like heroin and crack cocaine to prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs. Meeting attendees took particular interest in asking questions about the drugs that they see being abused in their own communities – most notably, methamphetamine and its variants.  
Several attendees asked if Lt. Chinn’s presentation would be offered again in the future – he noted that Tuesday was “the first time I’ve done this” but that he’d work with Lt. Davis and their SPD colleagues to determine future plans for getting the information to citizens who would like to hear it.

Lt. Davis reiterated that if citizens see anything suspicious in their neighborhoods, they should call 911 first, and give a detailed description of what they see.  If the issue is ongoing, call the precinct at 733-9800. “We do make house calls,” Davis said. 

Tuesday marked the first WSCPC meeting that was led by Richard Miller, the group’s new president (elected last month, and pictured below):  

Miller has taken over for outgoing president Dot Beard, who was in attendance Tuesday night - ”just for support,” she said.  Also in attendance was Betty Wiberg, who is serving as secretary/treasurer. Not present was new vice president Larry Ruda. 

The group is still looking for help, primarily in the secretary role - if you’re interested, contact info is listed at wscpc.org.

Wiberg reminded attendees that there will be a retirement party and potluck (which we mentioned last week) for Ron Angeles, on Thursday, February 24th, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center from 6-8 pm.  Angeles is retiring from his longtime job at the Department of Neighborhoods.

Block Watch leader Karen Berge handed out a flier with contact information for the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network, which is having its next meeting at SW Precinct next Tuesday, February 22nd, at 6:30 pm.  The group has a website, Facebook page, e-mail address (wsblockwatchnet@gmail.com), and new phone number: 206-424-0040.

Miller also reminded attendees that the WSCPC group’s next meeting will be March 15th at 7 pm, with their Executive Committee meeting sooner (March 1st) – these meetings will also be at SW Precinct.  

Miller also asked if “pedestrian and vehicle accidents” might be a good topic for future meetings, and several attendees responded that it would.

The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets on the second Tuesday of each month, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room. That’s also where the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network will meet at 6:30 pm next Tuesday (February 22).

CRIME TRENDS: Capt. Steve Paulsen made a guest appearance to discuss what’s been up (and down) lately. “We were trying to prepare everybody for a modest increase in crime” during the holiday season, he noted – but, somewhat to their surprise, “It didn’t happen.” He said residential burglaries for 2010 were down 20 percent from 2009 and that the rate’s remained low lately. “Part of that is because people are calling 911 to report suspicious activity,” Capt. Paulsen noted, and he lauded Block Watches (leaders of the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network were on hand to hear that – their next meeting is next Tuesday). “Get back to knowing your neighbors – that’s going to be the key to our success out here in West Seattle,” he said. “Crime in the last week – super-low numbers on everything,” he said, citing a handful of burglaries, but reiterating that it’s important to report any crime that happens. He did mention a specific suspect who seems to be a one-man crime wave – responsible for the catalytic-converter thefts we’ve been hearing about, or so police believe. “We know who he is and we’re out looking for him,” Capt. Paulsen said. Overall, he said again that we have “unbelievably low crime numbers” – with one exception, car prowls, which are hard to stem without witnesses. “We’re stopping them and ID’ing them, but we can’t book them into jail” without witnesses, he noted.

FEATURED SPEAKERS FROM SWYFS: Robert Gant from Southwest Youth and Family Services works on the city’s Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. Gant (photo right) and co-workers Debra Williams and Nani Fatuesi (to his left) explained the services they provide – SWYFS is based in West Seattle, in North Delridge next to Delridge Community Center. As announced when then-Mayor Nickels launched the initiative about a year and a half ago, SWYFS leads its efforts in this area of the city. Right now, Gant said, about 531 youth 12-17 are being served by its various programs – which start with referrals (which can be self- or family referrals as well as school, justice system, etc.) – and include a wide range of services, from counseling to a program called Southwest Expressions, which Williams said was inspired by youth who wanted a “safe place to go after school … who wanted to earn money, wanted to learn skills” but needed help.

CRIME PREVENTION COORDINATOR’S FAREWELL: Ben Kinlow, who’s retiring March 15th, shared a few words with the group (and will speak more extensively at next week’s meeting of the Blockwatch Captains Network, whom he lauded in his WSCPC appearance). If you’re interested in setting up a Block Watch, now’s the time to do it with his expertise available – who will handle crime-prevention services at the precinct after he’s gone has not yet been clarified.

NEW OFFICERS: President Dot Beard and vice president Betty Wiberg decided not to run again; the new officers are president Richard Miller and vice president Larry Ruda. They’re looking for a secretary-treasurer, if you’re interested in helping – contact info at wscpc.org.

The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets on the second Tuesday of each month, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room. That’s also where the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network will meet at 6:30 pm next Tuesday (January 25).